


Accord

by siesiegirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Dragons, F/M, Rumbelle Christmas in July, Rumbelle Christmas in July 2015, Rumbelle Secret Santa, dragon!Rumpelstiltskin, rcij
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 03:21:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4419278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siesiegirl/pseuds/siesiegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One village has an arrangement with the Dark One: he leaves their village alone, if every year they give him a young woman. This year's offering is Belle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Agreement

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CartoonJessie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonJessie/gifts).



> Rumbelle Christmas in July fic for @cartoonjessie, who prompted: FTL, waterfall, sacrifice, magic, night.
> 
> Merry RCiJ, dearie!

It was nearing sundown. The little procession made its way from the village toward the waterfall that tumbled down from the high cliffs. Belle walked among them, occasionally stumbling in the detritus on the forest floor; the drink they'd given her made her unsteady in body and mind. It's a mercy, they said, and perhaps they were right, but what remained of her senses told Belle she would rather have possession of her faculties, whatever may come. 

She wore her finest dress, in her favorite shade of blue. A crown of flowers rested on her dark hair: cornflowers and forget-me-nots and blue flax. She might be a bride, on her way to meet her intended under the old white oak where everyone's parents and grandparents had been married for as long as anyone could remember. It was an odd mockery of a wedding they were walking toward now, but Belle was resolved. This was her duty, to keep her village safe. Hundreds of girls before her had trod this path, and for hundreds of years the rest of them had been free from the menace that plagued the Enchanted Forest. She would earn her people another year of peace.

Her only regret was that one year didn't seem very long at all. And who would remember her name, when the next Hunter's Moon rose? During the feast she'd felt like a hero, the entire village drinking and celebrating for her, honoring her participation in this ancient agreement. But this long, somber walk... all that remained of that high now was the numbness in her feet and a roaring in her ears.

The roaring was not only from the drink, as they approached the waterfall. The low sun cast the foaming water in a golden light, and they helped her over the slick rocks, unwilling to risk losing her to a misplaced foot. Perhaps they shouldn't have filled her with mead, then, she thought, and a giddy laugh escaped her. Either the water covered the sound, or they were used to it, as none of them reacted at all as they ushered her between the water and the face of the cliff.

What became of the girls brought here, she wondered, and heard the memory of Old Meg telling the village girls _not_ to wonder, not to think about it, not to wish bad luck on oneself. Well, not thinking had never been Belle's strong suit, and she had little else to do with her time and nothing now to lose. She knew about this cave, everyone knew about it, but not even the bravest child dared to come here and risk rousing _him_. They spoke in whispers of what might lay behind the waterfall, but none of them were near the truth: Belle found herself disappointed when the cave was only very large and very empty. There was no sign of all the others who had come before her, nor of him whom they all feared.

There was only a metal ring set in the wall, and they bound Belle's hands together with rope and tied her to it, and then they left. None of them said a word, not a 'thank you' nor a goodbye, none of them even met her eyes before they walked away and left her with only the sound of the rushing fall. It felt like ages she waited, alone and growing colder, though there was still some light coming through the water, so it couldn't have been too long. She stared at that wall of water, waiting for her fate to arrive. Waiting for the Dark One to come and take her. 

A vague area of darkness appeared beyond the water, and at first she thought it was a shadow from the setting sun, but she soon knew it was _him_. The shape began to grow, its edges becoming clearer as it drew closer, until it broke the surface of the water.

Dark and slick as a river rock, the snout of the great beast approached Belle. Her stomach felt like it dropped to her feet when its golden eyes opened and landed upon her. Her heartbeat drowned out the sound of the waterfall as the head was followed by a sinuous neck and forelegs. The heat from its nostrils warmed the cave which Belle suddenly realized, large as it had seemed, must be too small to hold him. The head drew closer, and Belle forced herself to stand still, keep her eyes open, meet her death with courage. But her hands shook in their bonds when the great snout brushed her arm. It nudged her and she had to step aside to keep her feet. 

She felt its terrible maw open beside her, but instead of closing around her, the sharp teeth snapped the rope holding her. _...What?_

The long neck curled around, encircling her, and the head nudged her again. She fell against its shoulder and felt its head against her back, pushing her... up? Trying not to think about how near the beast's teeth were to her legs, she obediently climbed up, settling in the bit of a hollow between its shoulder blades. It slowly stepped back out of the cave, and Belle had only a moment to brace herself by holding onto the base of a wing before the water poured down over her.

Now free of the confined space of the cave, the dragon turned around, and with a cacophony of trotting along the riverbed and flapping its great wings, they soon were airborne.

Belle was _flying_. She gasped in pleased surprise as she watched the tops of the trees fall away below them. _This is worth it_ , she thought. Even if the Dark One was only carrying her off to eat her elsewhere, this moment was worth it. She had never imagined she would know something like this before she died, and she reached out to pet the dragon's neck, as she might a dog. It might not feel it, her tiny hand against its thick hide, and certainly wouldn't understand her gratitude, even if it could, but Belle couldn't resist. Already she had come to realize it was rather more than the mindless, savage beast the stories spoke of. Breaking her bonds and helping her onto its back was a display of intelligence Belle would never have imagined it capable of.

Her gown and hair dried quickly in the wind of their flight, and Belle allowed herself to enjoy the pleasantness of the journey, despite what awaited her at its conclusion. She took in as much as she could, able to identify some of the landforms they passed from the mayor's maps, proudly displayed over his hearth in a show of his own importance. There was the second river, which would join the one Belle knew on its way to the sea. Far to the east were the mountains the rivers came from, covered in the white snow which fed them. How she would have loved to see them more closely. It was a hard thing to finally see so much of the world, so many things she had always been curious about, so shortly before she was to die.

"Where are you taking me?" she wondered aloud, when she could no longer recognize the shape of the land below them, but the beast had shown no sign of looking for somewhere to land.

She thought, for the briefest moment, of letting go. Surely falling from such a great height would be a more merciful end than being eaten? But no, the dragon would be able to catch her, and if he didn't, what might he do to her village in his rage at being denied his meal? No, she could not risk it. She flexed her fingers against the wing to ensure her grip. To assure both herself and the dragon that she had no intention of going anywhere.

The hide was dry as a snake's, as she had suspected it might be, but not as smooth, though the skin of its wings was thin and soft like a bat. And it was... colored. The beast was always described as black or dark - thus its name - but Belle could now see that it was a muddy greenish brown, with hints of gold where the light caught the edges of scales. It put her in mind of a trout, actually, which was an odd thing to think of such a huge and deadly creature.

Finally the dragon turned a little, and the trees below them grew nearer. Belle could see, away off to the north and east, a castle nestled in the curves of a mountain. They approached it, and Belle was surprised to see its walls and towers in good repair, the roofs she could see whole. Who lived here, that the Dark One should come here yet not destroy it?

They landed in the large courtyard, between the curtain wall and the keep itself. Belle looked up at it in wonder, never having seen a building so big. Her entire village could live inside it. Maybe even two villages.

The dragon tilted its shoulders beneath her, and she slid to the ground. This was it, then. Belle squared her shoulders and raised her chin as the Dark One turned to face her...

and walked right past.

_What_ was happening? Twice, now, the dragon had not eaten her when it could have. With uncertain feet she began to follow it, but as soon as it knew she was doing so, it turned back to her, stopping her with a careful, deliberate swipe of its tail. It waited, watching her, holding its tail in her way.

"All right, I'll stay," she said, though she doubted it could understand. Hoping her action would convey her intention as words couldn't, she sat down, there on the flagstones. The dragon moved its tail, and when she made no move to stand up, resumed its walk away from her. It disappeared from her sight around the side of the keep, and Belle was left alone again to await her fate.


	2. The Dark One

The courtyard was already cast in shadow by the high curtain wall, and she watched the darkness creep up the side of the keep, until eventually, somewhere around the second-floor windows, the line between light and dark faded entirely, and the sky above went from blue to gray.

_My last sunset_ , Belle thought, _and I didn't even see it._

A chill set in as night came on, and sitting on the stones was not helping. Belle stood up, and as she brushed down her skirt, listening for the sound of wings - she had decided there must be another dragon, a mate for whom she was intended perhaps as a gift - she heard instead the door of the keep opening. She looked, and was shocked to find a man, hurriedly descending the steps.

"I'm sorry," he said as he approached her, his voice touched with a strange accent, "we haven't much time." He reached for her, but Belle pulled away from his hand.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, thank you, but I can't leave. The Dark One... my village..."

The man stopped, and dropped his hand. Belle could feel him studying her, and wished she could make out his expression in the growing darkness.

"Your village is safe," he said, and held out his hand again, "come inside. Please."

Belle hesitated. None of this evening was anything like what she had prepared herself for, and so she was now floating in an odd state of anticipation and dread. However, since _this_ particular moment seemed unlikely to contain the grisly end she both expected and feared, she took his hand and let him lead her into the castle.

She had been surprised by the sparseness of the cave behind the waterfall, but that paled beside her shock now. The castle, in contrast, was _beautiful_. And clean, and well-furnished, and brightly lit.

She turned to the man, though the question she intended died on her lips when she finally got a clear look at him in the light. A man he was, at least in shape, but his skin was an unnatural shade of goldish, greenish grey. His eyes were gold, as well, and looked at her so intently that she dropped his hand, which she belatedly realized was rough and dry, and familiar.

"You," she said, "you're..."

He smiled, an impish grin. "I believe your people know me as the Dark One."

"But you're a man," she said, boldly reaching out to touch his arm, half doubting he was even real. "Is this some spell?"

His grin turned wry. "That's a long story, dearie."

"You said we don't have much time."

"We don't," he replied, "so if you'll come and sit, I'll try to explain quickly." He gestured to a wide doorway off the main hall. Belle followed the direction, somewhat awkwardly keeping her hands to herself. She had petted him, like some animal. Did he remember? She hoped not.

The room she stepped into was a dining room, its long table laden with food. "Are you hungry?" he asked, gesturing to it with a flutter of his silk sleeve.

"No, thank you," she said. "They... fed me well."

He nodded. "Yes, of course they did. Please, sit." He led her now to a comfortable armchair by the fire. "The short of it is, I require a child."

Belle was taken aback. "Then, you should have asked for one." The agreement explicitly called for a maiden, come of age, to be surrendered to the Dark One each year. How could he mean something else?

He laughed. "No, no. You misunderstand me. The child I need... is my own."

"But how...?" she asked and he turned away from her gaze to stare into the fire, the fingers of one hand fidgeting against his knee. "Oh," she said, flushing with more than the heat from the flames. _That_ was why it must be a woman.

"They're still saying the girls are to be eaten?" he said, still looking at the fire instead of her.

"Yes," she said. "They make much of it, like it's the wedding we'll never have. There's a great feast. And a lot of mead." Some girls were so insensible they needed to be carried to the cave.

He nodded. "That's kindly meant, though it makes this... awkward."

_Awkward_ was an understatement. Belle had thought she was to be a meal, but instead she was meant to be... a mate? To someone she only just met? To someone perhaps not even human? That line of thought led her to ask perhaps an impolite question: "Are you a man or a dragon?"

Finally he turned back to her. "I was a man, long ago. The dragon is a curse from which I have a reprieve only once per year."

"How long a reprieve?" she asked.

"The night of the Hunter's Moon," he replied. "One night only to walk again as a man. Or a semblance of one," he added, looking at his discolored hands.

"And the child...?"

"One night for that, too." He gave a self-deprecating chuckle.

Belle looked at him and felt her heart ache. Such a slim chance of success, with so much working against it. She admired that he continued to try. "How will a child help?"

He sighed. "Long ago, in another life, I angered a woman, a sorceress. My apprentice, in fact. She grew... impatient. I should have realized she would try to teach herself, if I wouldn't. She was very clever, and quite powerful. I chose well," he chuckled, "or thought I had. As a display of her talent and defiance, she cursed me. Doomed me to live as that beast until I hold a child of my own blood in my hands. She gave me one night each year to..." He shook his head. "But she doesn't play fair, not her. Even when I'm a man, I'm... _this_." He thrust his hands out and looked at them in disgust. 

Belle saw nothing too objectionable about them, and reached out to lay her own hands in them.

That shocked him out of his anger, and he blinked at her. "I'll not force you," he said, proving his words by pulling away from her touch. "Your village is safe, and you are under no further obligation. I offer the hospitality of my home and my table. If you wish to leave, in the morning I will take you wherever you wish to go, a new life away from those who offered you up to a monster."

"You're not a monster," she said. "Even... earlier, you were gentle. Do you remember?"

He nodded. "My mind remains," he said. "I am myself inside, at least. Though whether that should be counted a mercy, I haven't yet decided."

She took a deep breath. "If... if I agree, but nothing, um, _results_ , what then?"

"You would be free to go, of course," he replied. "I would take you anywhere for your new life, and you'd never have to see my ugly hide again, I promise."

"But what if... I wanted to stay. Try again next year?" she offered.

He looked at her as if _she_ had turned into some unrecognizable creature. " _Stay?_ " he echoed.

She nodded. "You wouldn't need to take another girl next year." It seemed such a simple alternative. She smiled. She could buy her people not one year, but two. Maybe even more.

He shook his head, recovering from his shock. "No. I couldn't ask you to stay when I'm... like that."

"Would I be in danger?" she asked. He'd said he retained his senses.

"No," he admitted, and looked offended at the very idea. "No, of course you wouldn't be in danger."

"Then, I don't see any reason I couldn't keep you company," she said.

"You... would do that?" he asked, and looked so cautiously hopeful that it wrenched her heart.

"Of course," she said. "It would save my people, and you, and everyone."

"Ah. Neutralize the beast," he nodded, his expression closing off once more.

"No, that's not what I meant," she said, worried she had offended him, "not... _entirely_. But don't you want to break the curse? Isn't that why I'm here?"

"You're a strange one," he said, shaking his head. "Don't you want to _live_ , have a husband and a family, somewhere far away from all this?"

"I'd never be able to live with myself," she said. "Every year on this night I would know there's a girl tied up in that cave, alone and terrified, thinking she's going to be eaten. If I can spare someone else going through that..." She took his hands again. "I promise to stay, as long as you'll have me." She didn't know how long that would be; he might tire of her, as even husbands did sometimes. But she had to try.

He looked at their clasped hands, still in a bit of shock. Belle herself was surprised that evidently no one else, in all these years, had made such an offer. Poor thing. "What's your name?" she asked.

"The Dark One, of course," he replied, scoffing.

She shook her head. "The dragon is the Dark One," she said, "What's _your_ name?"

He hesitated, and Belle wondered if it had been so long that he had actually forgotten it. "Rumpelstiltskin," he said, barely above a murmur.

"Rumpelstiltskin," she echoed, a little slowly to make sure she had it right.

"And what shall I call you, extraordinary creature?" he asked.

"My name is Belle," she replied.

He smiled. "Fitting," he said, and she smiled at the compliment. "I hardly deserve such a maiden, as kind as she is lovely. I wish I were..." he waved his hand in an all-encompassing gesture, "well, I promise you the best of me, such as it is."

She smiled again, and squeezed his hand in hers. "As do I," she vowed.


	3. I Will Go with You

Rumpelstiltskin's smile was guarded, though genuine. "Then, my lady," he said, rising, "shall we?" He folded into a courtly bow, with such flourishes of his hands that Belle giggled.

She stood up and sank into her very best curtsey, which perhaps meant very little for a girl from a small village deep in the hinterlands. "We shall, sir."

He took her hand with another flourish and kissed her knuckles, before straightening and tucking her hand in the bend of his elbow, resting his own atop it. Belle felt like a fine lady, indeed, receiving such manners, though she was at rather a loss how to return them. The people of her village didn't stand on such ceremony. So she simply squeezed his arm and let him guide her back out to the great foyer, at the far end of which was a wide staircase. This they climbed together in silence, Belle's mind torn between trying not to think too much about what was about to happen, and madly trying to remember every bit of wedding-night advice she had ever managed to overhear.

Well, in the cave she had been certain she was shortly to be eaten, and had tried not to think about _that_ , and it hadn't turned out so badly. Perhaps this wouldn't, either. He had promised not to force her, to do his best. And everything she had seen of him thus far had been gentle and kind. In truth, she already liked him better than most of the young men in the village, curse and odd skin or no.

The stairs ended on a long hallway with many doors. She looked curiously at them as they walked by, wondering what lay beyond. Rumpelstiltskin must have noticed her curiosity, and nodded to one as they passed it. "That's the library," he said, and Belle immediately lit up with interest.

"A _library_?" she asked. "Do you mean an entire room full of books?" What glorious extravagance. She had thought the mayor's single shelf of books an extensive collection, but a whole room? How many stories must there be, from lands near and far. How much knowledge about the world and the people in it!

He laughed, delighted at her surprise. "Yes, an entire room," he said. "You'll have free rein of it, while you're here, as well as everything else. The castle will see to your needs; my apprentice could not break _that_ enchantment." He grinned with pride, before turning serious again. "I'm afraid I won't be very good company, in the meantime, but I hope you will find something here to please you."

"I'm sure I will," Belle replied, looking back over her shoulder at the library door, fixing its location in her memory.

They came at last to another staircase, narrower than the first, and not as tall. It ended at a single door, finely carved and beautifully inlaid with gold. He opened the door and held it, letting her step inside.

The room beyond was larger than her family's entire cottage. A fire blazed in a broad hearth, and was faced by a comfortable-looking chair and a little table. Already Belle was imagining curling up there on a winter night with a book and a hot drink. At the far end of the room was an enormous bed with rich drapes, and a wardrobe partly hidden by a dressing screen.

"Does it please you?" Rumpelstiltskin asked gently from behind her.

"It's beautiful," she said. "This is _my_ room?"

He nodded and looked around. "It was once mine, very long ago. As long as you are here, it is yours."

"Thank you," she breathed, and impulsively hugged him.

His arms hesitantly slid around her, and Belle smiled into his shoulder. Perhaps this wouldn't be _too_ very awkward.

"May... may I kiss you?" he asked, and her stomach fluttered.

"Yes," she said, nodding.

He reached up and gently stroked her cheek. "So lovely," he murmured, and bent his lips to hers. 

His lips were a bit dry, like the rest of his skin, but they were warm and soft, and pressed hers gently. When he pulled back, Belle thought she felt him sigh.

"I liked that," she said, offering him a smile.

"I'm very glad to hear it," he replied. "But if you change your mind... at any point if you wish to stop, I will stop."

Belle nodded in understanding, but she had no intention of stopping now. She had committed herself to this course, and would see it through. She would help Rumpelstiltskin break his fearsome curse, save the realm from the ravaging Dark One, and then... She didn't know what then. She would have a child, _they_ would have a child. What would become of her and the babe, once they had served their purpose to Rumpelstiltskin?

"You look uneasy," he observed. "I promise, I will be as gentle as I can."

"It isn't that," Belle shook her head. "I was thinking of... after."

"After?"

"After the curse is broken," she said. "You will be a man again. And I will have a child, and nowhere to go."

"You and the child will want for nothing," he promised. "You may stay here, if... if you wish, or I can give you a castle all your own, far away where neither of you need never be troubled by me again."

She smiled at him. "You aren't troubling me," she said.

His answering smile was wry. "My dear, I think you'll find what we're about is the very definition of trouble." There was a mischievous glint in his eye that made Belle laugh. He took her hand again and drew her deeper into the room. "There is a nightdress for you, behind the screen," he said, gesturing to it. "I'll let you... prepare."

Belle nodded and walked over to the screen, smiling at him again before disappearing behind it. Once there, she did find a lace-trimmed nightdress waiting for her, neatly folded on a little stool. She stared at it as the magnitude of her situation crashed down on her. Refusing to give into it, she took a deep breath and unlaced her gown.

The nightdress was silk, and cool to the touch when she picked it up, though it warmed quickly in her hands. She'd never held anything so fine, and she almost felt like sleeping in such a confection would be a waste of its beauty. Still, she pulled it over her head and turned side to side, enjoying the flow of it over her skin.

She heard Rumpelstiltskin moving about in the room beyond the screen, and his presence reminded her of her purpose. She took another deep breath and stepped out from the screen's shelter. Rumpelstiltskin stood beside the bed in his own nightshirt, fiddling with the fall of one cuff. Belle smiled at the thought she was not alone in being a little nervous.

"You..." he cleared his throat. "Would you prefer the candles out?" he asked, though he didn't wait for her response before reaching toward the sconce on the wall.

"No, it's all right," she said, to his evident surprise. "I think it might be easier, if I could see what's going on."

He looked at her as if she'd spoken another language. "As you wish," he said when he recovered. "All shall be as my lady wishes." He gave her another flourishy bow that made her smile again.

She untucked the covers and slid beneath them, as he watched, worrying his cuff. Had _he_ changed his mind? Already? Belle wondered what she might have done to displease him, and was about to tell him to snuff the candles if he wished to, when he finally pulled back the covers on his side. He carefully avoided looking at her as he settled himself.

"Which of us is the blushing maiden?" she wondered aloud, amused now that it seemed he had not changed his mind, after all.

"Forgive me," he said, with a wry laugh, and finally turned to her again. "You... you astonish me. Have you no fear?"

"What should I fear from you?" she asked.

He shook his head, smiling crookedly. "Are you some fairy? Some mischievous sprite sent to fool me?"

Belle shook her head against her pillow. "I'm a woman," she said, "of age and untouched, as agreed."

"No woman has ever..." He reached across to stroke her cheek. "You've given an old monster hope, sweet Belle."

"You aren't a monster," she said. "You're a man under a curse, and I am going to help you break it." She leaned over and kissed him. She may not know much about what was about to happen, but she knew nothing would with an arm's-length between them.

He made a surprised little sound that turned into a sigh as he returned her kiss, and she scooted still closer to him. It was quite nice, this kissing business, and Belle was pleased to find she was apparently rather good at it. Rumpelstiltskin seemed pleased, as well, and his hand slid down her arm and around to her back, pressing them closer together.

"If anything is uncomfortable," he said, " _anything_ , please tell me. I know the old wives say there is pain, but if a man is a gentleman, there may not be."

Belle wondered how many husbands in her village were so considerate of their wives. "I will," she nodded.

His hand moved down her back and passed - hesitantly - over her hip. "May I touch you?" he purred as he kissed his way along her jaw.

"Yes," she said, "please." His warm, gentle hand slid down her thigh, inching up her nightdress until his fingers met the hem at her knee. She found it hard to concentrate on his hand, though, as his kisses had moved to her neck, just below her ear. She gasped, and felt him laugh against her skin.

"Yes?" he asked, and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yes," she breathed, and he laughed again before resuming his kisses.

His hand moved up her thigh, and her skin tingled beneath his touch. She turned, inviting, wanting that touch on more of her. _Everywhere_. The nightdress she had admired moments ago now seemed only to be in the way. His kisses and his exploring hand grew bolder, his thumb skimming her inner thigh.

"Here?" he asked, the upward movement of his hand making his meaning clear.

"Yes," she said again, her blood rushing.

He shifted, leaning over her as his kisses found her collarbone. Uncertain what to do with her own hands - and feeling she ought to do _something_ , at least - she slid them up his arms, which felt as nicely-shaped as any others she had seen. 

His hand found her curls, and after the initial shock at a touch not her own, it was nice. Very nice indeed. Rumpelstiltskin had shown her nothing but tenderness thus far, and so he continued, exploring with gentle strokes. Her legs relaxed, and he hummed his appreciation into her skin.

"That's... that's nice," she said, a little breathless.

"You deserve to be worshiped," he replied, "I don't have nearly enough time to do it properly."

"It feels fine so far," she assured him.

"Well, if it only warrants 'nice' and 'fine,' I'm cheating us both." He looked up from kissing her chest to smirk at her, which made her stomach flip.

"Should I do something?" she asked, "Can I help?"

He chuckled against the lace of her neckline. "Sweet Belle," he murmured, "just tell me if I please you." He kissed over the swell of her breast, and caught her nipple through the silk as his fingers slipped into her. She gasped and arched into him, eliciting a happy moan from him that vibrated against her skin. "Yes?"

"Yes," she breathed, "oh, yes." Her hand curled in his hair. His fingers moved in her as he suckled. Belle had known men were fond of breasts, but not like _this_. It was delightful, and she stroked his hair as she held his head against her.

"Tell me," he said, his breath tickling her skin through the wetted silk, "tell me what you want."

She hardly knew, innocent as she was, though her body seemed more certain than her mind. "More," she said, "I want... more skin."

He froze, but nodded. "As you wish." He pulled away from her, and the wet silk was cold against her skin in his absence. He gathered her nightdress up around her hips, and she sat up as he pulled it higher, his fingers brushing her ribs as they climbed. She helped him pull it over her head, and dropped it off the side of the bed.

"You are... so very beautiful," he said, gazing at her in wonder.

She smiled at the compliment. "Your turn." She reached for his shirt, but he caught her hands.

"You don't want to see that," he warned.

"Why not?" she asked. "You're a man under there, aren't you?"

He frowned. "The shape of one, at least," he admitted.

"Well, we should enjoy that shape while we can, shouldn't we?" She smirked at him. "You said it shall be as I wish."

He shook his head, but laughed. "You are too clever for me, sweet Belle. As you wish, indeed." He allowed her to pull his nightshirt up over his head, watching her uncertainly as she took in the sight of him. 

Hardly an expert on the male form, Belle saw nothing to account for his unease. His odd coloration was everywhere, but otherwise he was made well. His skin was smooth, the lines of his body clean and pleasant. Impulsively, she reached out to stroke his chest, and he started at her touch. "I like this," she assured him, and the look he gave her was full of wonder and incredulity.

"It... serves," he said, with a dismissive shrug.

"I expect it will serve me just fine," she replied, and leaned in to kiss his neck, hoping it felt as good for him as it had for her. It did, if the sound he uttered were any indication, and Belle smiled. She pressed herself closer, feeling his skin against hers, and felt his pounding heart, a mirror of her own.

"Gods, Belle," he muttered, and she felt his hands fluttering against her hips.

"Touch me," she said, "please."

He made the sound again, and pulled her to him. Somehow it still wasn't enough skin, and Belle craved more. She leaned back into the pillows, drawing him down with her. She curled one leg up against his hip. " _Please_ ," she said, her fingers pressing into his shoulders.

"You... are you ready?" he asked, slipping his hand between them. She was more than ready. "Are you certain?"

She nodded. "I want you," she said, pressing her hips up and feeling his hard length against her belly. Tomorrow, the next year, nothing else mattered but right now.

He groaned and moved his legs between hers, kissing her neck again as his fingers stroked her until she could hardly bear it. "Please," she panted, angling her hips to try to _take_ what she wanted, if he wouldn't oblige her.

"As you wish," he said, and sat up. He took himself in hand and, with a look of intense concentration, made sure of his position before slowly, carefully, pressing into her.

It was different than his fingers. It was... more. More, and better: a smoother fit. It felt... _right_.

"All right?" he asked, and she could tell he was restraining himself for her sake.

She nodded. "Don't stop now," she said.

He smiled his crooked smile again and pressed deeper, agonizingly slowly. Belle yearned for more even as she appreciated the time he was giving her body to get used to his. "There," he said, finally stopping with a bit of a grunt. He still felt like a coiled spring, every inch of him taut. "Still all right?"

She nodded, and he smiled as he leaned over her again. "Please don't stop breathing," he whispered into her neck, and she laughed. She _had_ been holding her breath.

"I feel fine, thank you," she said, her hand finding its way back into his hair. She liked the silky strands between her fingers.

"Still only 'fine,' hm?" He gave her a devilish smirk that made her heart beat even faster. "We'll see about that." His hips and his hand began to move again, and any thought of 'fine' was driven clean out of her head. She had brought herself to satisfaction before, of course, and she knew that was part of what happened between men and women, but this... _this_ is what all the fuss was about.

She made inarticulate sounds as he drove her mad with pleasure and desire, and she clung to him, her legs tight around his driving hips and her fingers tangling in his hair and scoring his back. He made sounds, too, sometimes bearing her name, and she didn't mind when his movements became less gentle, her own hips rolling to meet his as she uttered "more" and "yes," the only thoughts she seemed capable of.

Finally, dizzy with want, her release crashed through her, and she squeezed him tightly as she cried out. He was not far behind, her aftershocks still pulsing when he fell out of rhythm and pressed into her, harder than ever, and held there for a few seconds before falling to her side. He panted against her shoulder, her legs still circling his hips, as their hearts slowed down together.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked when he had caught his breath.

She ached, she couldn't deny, and she would need a little while to recover, but she hoped there would be enough time to do so and then maybe have another go before the night was over. "Only there at the end," she said.

"I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away." He kissed her shoulder. 

"I don't mind," she said, "I liked it, actually."

"Better than 'fine?'" he asked with a lazy grin.

She laughed. "Much better than 'fine.'"

"I'm glad." He smiled and rested his hand on her waist, his thumb stroking the side of her belly. Belle wasn't sure whether she hoped they had already made a child, or they _hadn't_ , and she'd have a chance to do this with him again, even if it was a whole year away. His thoughts seemed to follow a similar path, as he disentangled himself from her legs and leaned down to kiss her stomach. "Thank you," he murmured to her navel.

"My pleasure," she replied, and he laughed. She combed her fingers through his hair and he sighed.

"I'll leave you be, now," he said, sitting up and looking for his discarded nightshirt.

"What? Why?" She pushed up onto her elbows. It wasn't anywhere near dawn.

"I've... imposed upon you enough," he said. "You deserve a good night's sleep."

"I won't kick you out of your own bed." She reached for him. "There's a few hours, yet. Please stay."

He looked at her, uncomprehending, and shook his head. "Strange, sweet Belle," he said, and set his shirt aside again before laying back down.

She snuggled into him and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "Has there really been no one else who agreed to try to break the curse?" she asked. Who could be so heartless to refuse?

"A few have tried," he replied, idly stroking her back, "But they were eager enough to leave when... when there was no child."

"And there has never been a child?" What if the curse had taken that from him, too? Surely it couldn't have; no curse could be utterly unbreakable. There had to be a way, and she would help him find it, somehow.

"There was, once," he admitted, softly, "but they both... it was difficult, and..."

Belle nodded, not needing or wanting to hear the rest. Death in childbed was a fear well-known to any woman. It might yet come to her. She wrapped her arm around his waist and held him tight. It would _not_. She was strong, and stubborn.

He kissed the top of her head. "I wish we had more time, to make arrangements," he said. "When... if you do need... a woman," he squirmed a bit, and Belle shared his anxiety about speaking their hope too loudly, too soon, "there is a certain witch. She and I have an agreement, and she has no love for my duplicitous protege. She will come."

Belle nodded against his shoulder. She _would_ need a midwife someday, all going well. She kissed his chest to lighten the mood; they'd grown far too serious, and she didn't mean to waste the precious few hours they had left. Things would take care of themselves, if they set them in motion properly now.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking down at her as her hand began to slide over his ribs.

"Do you think we should try it again?" she grinned at him, "Just to make sure?" 

He laughed and pulled her to him. "Wanton creature."


	4. In the Dark Castle

Belle hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep, until she opened her eyes to find sunlight beyond the window. Rumpelstiltskin was no longer beside her, the sheet and pillow where he'd lain already gone cold. She rolled toward it anyway, basking in the memory of the night before. Had it worked? Her hand strayed to her belly. It was much too soon to know, of course, but she hoped.

She stretched as she walked from the bed to the wardrobe, and found her blue dress neatly hung inside. Had Rumpelstiltskin done that, or was it the enchantment he'd mentioned before? Another dress hung beside it, in a similar cut but a shade of green. She dressed in it and pulled her hair up, and found a matching pair of shoes on the shelf, which just _happened_ to fit perfectly, of course.

She followed their path from the night before back down to the dining room, resisting the urge to stop at the library first. The table was once again covered in food. Her stomach rumbled as the smells reached her, but she was drawn instead to the sinuous form of the Dark One, lying in front of the hearth. She had _known_ he wouldn't still be a man, but couldn't help a bit of disappointment to see his curse at work again, as if nothing had happened. "Rumpelstiltskin?" she said, approaching him slowly.

The great head lifted and gold eyes regarded her. She smiled at him, "Good morning." He replied with a low rumble and stretched out to nuzzle her. She was pleased at this proof the man from last night was in there somewhere. "You do remember, don't you?" she said, petting him, and he rumbled again and closed his eyes. She withheld a laugh at the thought that a dragon was very like a large dog, and moved to the table to serve herself breakfast. He laid his head down again, watching her every move. It was a little unsettling, but Belle supposed it was the closest they could get to sharing a meal together.

"I was thinking," she said, buttering a slice of toast, "perhaps you could take me flying, if you go out?" He lifted his head and looked at her curiously. "I saw mountains, yesterday, and I've never seen snow like that. There's so much of the world I've never seen or even read about." He tilted his head to the side and then laid it down again with a humming sound, watching her, and Belle hoped that meant he agreed.

So went her days in the Dark One's castle. Every day a new dress and shoes in her wardrobe, and breakfast in the dining room with him looking on. Some were spent flying, always to some fascinating new place; some in the library; others in the garden with a book or two when the weather was fair. Often he would join her, laying his head near her feet, and she would read aloud to him. He wasn't much for conversation, of course, but she came to know his mannerisms and moods, to distinguish the various pitches of the sounds he made, and she became very fond of her odd companion.

And then one day, weeks after she came to the castle, Belle had begun to suspect something important. On her way to breakfast that morning, she noticed the door opposite the library was open. She moved to close it, and discovered it was no longer the storeroom she was certain it had been before. 

_The castle will see to your needs_ , she heard his voice as she stepped inside. Into a nursery. She could have cried as she ran her hands over the beautiful furniture: glossy dark wood and crisp white linens and lace. Happy. Expectant. Like her. 

She hardly felt the stairs beneath her feet as she walked down to the dining room, and straight to the Dark One, to wake him from his nap with a kiss on the top of his head.

"I have good news."


End file.
